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Rank and Privilege
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy at War See also: GaW Hardware, FUCG Organizations, Gear Requisition A hero who serves in an army, a planetary defense organization, or a mercenary group is given a rank here called a title. With a title comes authority to give orders, access to equipment and personnel, and increased pay. However, the greater a hero's title is, the greater are the accountability, responsibilities, and demands placed on him or her. The Star Wars Roleplaying Game is about action, however, not administrative paperwork or Boards of Inquiry, so heroes in the game are allowed more leeway than actual members of the military would ever hope for. A title is usually indicative of character level and experience, but a title can be based on social status and other noncombat-oriented factors. Heroes often receive orders from officers who are superior in rank but considerably lower in level-sometimes having only Nonheroic levels. The Rank and Privilege system is based on and is compatible with the Organization system described in the Force Unleashed Campaign Guide, and it also stands on its own as an independent optional system. Gamemasters using both these systems should determine the scale, organization type, and positive and negative criteria for specific military organizations in their campaigns. The Rank and Privilege system provided here gives a character's title and the corresponding additional in-game abilities and bonus for requisitioning equipment (See Gear Requisition). As a player advances in title, he or she also gains access to additional benefits. With title also comes authority, and as such, heroes add the appropriate Command Bonus score to any Persuasion checks when dealing with members of their military organization (See below). Military organizations follow a strict chain of command, with clear regulations on rank, responsibility, and authority of each soldier in its command. Soldiers are expected to follow the orders without question, and officers expect that their orders are carried out quickly and efficiently by those under their command. Depending on the military organization, era, and even duty post, soldiers can advance rapidly through the ranks or can make themselves career foot soldiers or noncommissioned officers. The table below includes the most common ranks found in military groups throughout the galaxy. Depending on the branch, some of the titles might be different or might not exist at all. For simplicity's sake, the titles given apply to both ground and naval forces. Gamemasters are free to alter the titles as needed. Special Orders In addition, as a hero advances in rank (See Increasing Your Rank, below), he or she can give Special Orders. Special Orders provide a once-per-mission effect, such as calling in an air strike, radioing back to headquarters for technical information, or requesting immediate evacuation from a battlefield. To use a Special Order, the highest-ranking character in the adventuring group must be able to communicate with his or her superiors, either by Comlink or by messenger. A Special Order can have immediate results, or it might take some time and require additional prerequisites. Also, in some cases, Special Orders cannot be enacted, especially if the hero is far from other troops or is involved in a clandestine mission without the benefit of additional forces. Special Orders are divided into Minor Orders, Major Orders, and Command Orders. Several examples of Special Orders are described below, and Gamemasters are encouraged to create their own or to determine if a special order described by a player might be within the hero's authority. Minor Special Orders * Call in mortar strike (Artillery Strikes; attack bonus +10, 4d6 damage, 2-Square Burst radius, every 1d2 rounds). * Request basic intelligence (Any Knowledge Skill, +5). * Request transport (Ground Vehicle arrives in 2d10 minutes, CL equal to or lower than commanding hero's). * Request reinforcements (A number of CL 1 troopers equal to one-half the commanding hero's level arrives in 2d10 minutes). * Remote override (Use Computer +10 check, requires Datapad or Portable Computer). * Emergency supply drop (1 Medical Kit and 4 Medpacs, or 1 Tool Kit and 1 day/character Ration Packs). Major Special Orders * Call in air strike (Artillery Strikes; attack bonus +15, 10d6x2 damage, 4-Square Splash every 1d2 rounds for 10 rounds). * Request detailed intelligence (Any Knowledge Skill, +10). * Request transport (Shuttle arrives in 2d10 minutes, CL equal to or lower than commanding hero's) * Request reinforcements (A number of CL 5 troopers equal to the commanding hero's level arrives in 2d10 minutes). * Remote override (Use Computer +15 check, requires Datapad or Portable Computer). * Emergency supply drop (1 Surgery Kit and 1 Medical Kit, or 1 Tool Kit, 8 Medpacs, and 10 days/character Ration Packs). Command Special Orders * Call in Orbital Turbolaser (Artillery Strikes; attack bonus +20, 5d6x5, 4-Square Splash every 1d2 rounds for 10 rounds). * Request sensitive intelligence (Any Knowledge Skill, +20). * Request transport (Starship arrives in 2d10 minutes, CL equal to or lower than commanding hero's). * Request reinforcements (A number of CL 5 troopers equal to 5 + the commanding hero's level arrives in 2d10 minutes). * Remote override (Use Computer +20 check, requires Datapad or Portable Computer). * Emergency supply drop (1 Medical Droid, 10 Medpacs, 2 Tool Kits, and 1 month/character Ration Packs). Increasing Your Rank To advance in his or her military organization, a soldier must follow orders, show ingenuity and leadership in the field, and successfully complete the missions. Although many factors can boost a hero's title, advancement comes only to those who are willing to take the most challenging missions and survive with their comrades and gear relatively intact. The criteria in the table below can affect the Organization Score of a member of an armed service or large mercenary company. *See Rank and the Officer Prestige Class, below *Does not apply for Mercenary units. Rank and the Officer Prestige Class See also: Officer When using the Rank and Privilege system, a character can take the Officer prestige class without having a sufficient Organization Score to put him or her in the officer rank category (Rank 3; Second Lieutenant). Such a character might have the knowledge, experience, and command ability to place him or her in the ranks of officer at a later date. Many noncommissioned officers, such as Warrant Officers, are capable of commanding more troops than their rank implies, but choose to remain in the field with their soldiers, thriving on the challenges that come with being in close proximity with the troops that they lead or taking on specialized tasks without the burden of command. Alternatively, heroes who take levels in the Officer prestige class can be automatically raised to the rank of Second Lieutenant and can be assumed to have the required organization points. Multiple Heroes With Rank Not all of your heroes have to be members of a military unit to go on missions on behalf of those units. However, if you have multiple heroes who all have ranks in the same military outfit, there may be some question as to who the commander is on a particular mission. There are several ways to determine who acts as the commander on a particular mission; note that only the commander of a mission can issue Special Orders during that mission. Below are some suggestions for determining the commander when multiple heroes hold rank in the same military unit. * The hero with the highest Organization Score is the commander. For this method, simply compare the heroes' Rank and Organization Scores in order to determine who has the highest; that person becomes the commander for the mission. In case of a tie, a commander is assigned by the organization's higher authorities based on the mission profile. This method ensures that the hero with the highest rank is always the commander of the mission, and rewards heroes who specifically take levels in certain Classes (Particularly the Officer) and choose to act as the party's leader. * The heroes rotate as commander based on specialty. A somewhat more egalitarian method, in this scenario the mission commander is chosen by the heroes superiors based on his or her specialty. For example, on a mission to locate Count Dooku's secret lair, the heroes' superiors might put the Jedi character in charge, owing to her familiarity with The Force, The Jedi, and The Sith. If the mission calls for extended travel through the wilds of Daluuj, the Scout character could be put in charge thanks to his record of survivability. For missions where combat seems to be most likely, the Soldier character might be put in charge. Provided that the missions the heroes undertake have some variety in their goals and methods of execution, each of the heroes should get a chance to take the lead on certain missions. This method works out very well when the heroes are all members of the same military unit and all have some rank. * The heroes choose a commander from among themselves. Under this option,the heroes receive a mission from their superiors and are then required to choose one of themselves to be the commander.This not only allows the heroes to spread around the chance to be a commander from mission to mission, it also allows heroes who don't want a position of leadership to opt-out easily while still participating in the choice of a commander. Noncommissioned Officers In real-world military units, there is a difference between Officers who go through years of elite officer training and those enlisted men and women who are promoted to leadership roles. Officers who are enlisted are called noncommissioned Officers, and they are drawn from the ranks of occupational specialists within the enlisted personnel in a military force. Enlisted personnel sometimes then go on to attend officer candidacy schools (Or receive such training during active duty, in the case of militaries that have no formal academies). In the Star Wars setting, there are often few, if any, differences between commissioned and noncommissioned Officers. Some organizations, such as The Rebel Alliance, have no choice but to draw upon members of their own organization for officers. As such, almost every Officer in The Rebel Alliance is what would normally be considered a noncommissioned Officer; typically, these Officers begin their careers as specialists within a Rebel cell, and advance based on merit. In The Rebel Alliance (And similar organizations), advancement is so fast that there can be no practical difference between commissioned and noncommissioned Officer. Heroes like Han Solo and Lando Calrissian reach the rank of General quickly, out of necessity. If your heroes are members of a military unit that does have a strong divide between commissioned and noncommissioned Officers (Such as the Imperial military), there are a few adaptations you can make to the rules to enforce this divide. First, noncommissioned Officers have a maximum Organization Score cap of 11, meaning that no noncommissioned Officer can increase his or her Rank beyond 2 unless that character then goes on to receive Officer Candidacy Training. To determine if a hero is a noncommissioned or a commissioned Officer, look at how that hero came to be involved with the military unit. If the hero was drafted into service, signed on to the unit with a specialty other than leadership, or signed on with no prior training or specialty, that hero is probably a noncommissioned, enlisted soldier. If the hero attended a military academy (Such as the one at Carida), received formal military training as a part of his or her upbringing (As is the case for many Nobles), or signed on with a unit specifically for a leadership role, chances are that hero is a commissioned Officer. Additionally, for military units where there is a distinction between commissioned and noncommissioned officers, the ranks for those heroes with an Organization Score of 11 or less should be different for commissioned Officers. Though the actual Ranks vary from one military outfit to the next, the following basic ranks can be used for commissioned Officers progressing through the first few ranks of the command hierarchy: Ensign, Sub-Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant.